Ouroboros Redux
by BrokenRose99
Summary: This is the story of Terra Zenith, a backwater colony world under the claim of humanity. It is June, 2157. It is a peaceful, isolated place, still unaware that humans share the stars with many other intelligent species. It is such a shame that they had to be pulled out of their ignorance so violently.


_**~Ouroboros: Prologue~**_

 _Terra Zenith, Tezuno_

 _June 10, 2157_

 _7:55 A.M._

Stacey let out a heavy groan and flipped over her pillow before sinking back into it. She did _not_ want to get up right now. It could be said that it was all her hangover's fault, but she had trouble clawing herself away from the comfort of her sheets every day regardless. Still, the additional nausea, not to mention the mother of all headaches bequeathed unto her by her best friend 'beer', certainly weren't doing anything to dissuade her from spending the rest of the day in bed. Stacey sighed and felt around under the covers. Kent wasn't here to chastise her into rejoining the living then. A small silver lining.

Oh shit. Kent wasn't here.

"Fuck!" Stacey shouted, springing into an upright position. She immediately regretted this and clasped a hand to her forehead, falling back onto her sheets. She made a second, more sedate attempt to rise from the dead, pulling herself away from the mattress, her eyes glued to the floor to prevent the accursed sun from making this even harder.

She trudged her way over to the bathroom and rummaged around in the cabinet for the aspirin, as well as her usual daily medications. One after another she downed all of her pills with a cup of water, then set to the task of brushing her teeth to get rid of the alcohol still lingering on her breath. She looked at her hideous visage in the mirror and recoiled. Rough night, apparently.

Thus began the arduous process of beautification. First came a quick, scalding shower, then the generous application of some cosmetics, and finally some vigorous brushing. Stacey could now say that she looked like a perkier version of a zombie. Where were extranet beauty tips when you needed them? She could definitely use _Five Ways to Look Fabulous After a Hard Night on the Town_ right now. If only the damned colony could get that data beacon going, she might have had an easier time of it.

Stacey didn't feel like putting much more effort into herself today. She threw on one of her old favorite tank tops – white with orange flowers – and some simple jeans. Putting on some sunglasses to protect her from the sun's cruel rays, she walked out of her room and halfway down the hall to Holly's. Smashing on the door she called hoarsely, "Hey, little miss sunshine; time to get your butt out of bed." A reluctant grumble came from the other side of the door, but Stacey didn't wait for further response. She made her way to the kitchen.

Stacey did not cook. She had never cooked, unless you called heating canned beans over an open fire 'cooking'. She did, however, know how to use a microwave; technology so simple that it had barely changed in the past two centuries. She threw in a bowl of oatmeal for the kid and set the timer. Then she pulled a can of lemon-lime soda out of the fridge and guzzled it down. How gourmet.

Stacey checked the counter and saw that Kent had left a message for her on the central screen. It was filled with his usual sweet nothings and apologies for not waking her blah blah blah. It was obvious he was trying to soften the blow that she would be responsible for Holly despite her currently less than able condition. No matter. He would get what was coming to him soon enough. Stacey crushed her soda can in her fist, ominously.

The door swished open behind her and Stacey turned around to see a bleary-eyed young girl about the age of eight stomp her way into the kitchen and sit down at the table. She twisted the long strands of her blonde hair between her fingers, obviously trying hard to stay awake.

"Well, don't you look spiffy today?" Stacey remarked, noting Holly's black sundress and the red ribbon her hair. "What's the occasion?"

"It's just what I had laid out," Holly said with a tired shrug. Stacey had a feeling the girl never really paid attention to what she was wearing. At least today her outfit was somewhat cogent. She did _not_ want to have to deal with another tutu incident right now.

Holly yawned mightily. "What are you making?" she asked tiredly.

"Oh you'll love it. It's your favorite," Stacey said devilishly.

"Nooooo... it's more oatmeal, isn't it?" Holly asked sourly.

"How'd you guess?" Stacey asked innocently. Holly just gave her an evil look. Stacey gave her another big grin. "Just remember to blame your big brother for not sticking around this morning."

"...May I have my food please?" Holly asked with quiet resignation.

Stacey giggled to herself evilly and complied. She was finally breaking her! A year ago she would have been screaming and carrying on. Now it was just dull acceptance. Stacey liked to think it was like preparing her for adulthood.

After Holly finished her meal, Stacey shepherded her over to the door and helped her find her sandals. "Oh, crap." Stacey muttered just as they were about to walk out the door. "Holly, you can start heading over to the Center okay? I forgot my purse so I'll catch up with you in a little bit."

"M'kay," Holly said simply, shrugging on her kitty backpack. "See you in a little bit."

"Be careful," Stacey advised.

"I will Big Sis, don't worry," Holly said with a roll of her eyes. Stacey shook her head. Kids think they know it all.

Without wasting any more time, Stacey dashed back into her room and grabbed her bag. She checked that she had everything: wallet; check. Nail polish; check. Phone; check. Gum; check. Headphones; check. Earpiece; check. It looked like everything was in order.

As she was about to walk out and rejoin Holly, Stacey's eye caught one of her bracelets. It was an ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail, depicted in silver with two little blue jewels marking the serpent's eyes. It was one of her older trinkets, from before she'd even met Kent and Holly. For some reason she felt compelled to wear it today. She slipped it on her wrist with a shrug and again made way for the door.

She caught up with Holly about halfway to the Education Center. "Dang," she said, panting, "I can't believe you got this far without me. Slow your roll girl. What's got you so excited?"

"We're gonna plant a garden in class today, remember?" Holly said energetically. "There's no way I'm gonna be late to school today!"

"Oh yeah, that's right," Stacey said. Holly had always had an interest in plants and botany in general. She had a little planter box in her room with a few flowers growing in it; tiger and orchid lilies. They were Kent and Stacey's favorite flowers respectively. Holly had adored growing them, but did sometimes complain that she wanted to grow something more practical like an apple tree or a blueberry bush. This project came at the perfect time; ordering plants and seeds from off world was expensive.

"Wait, hon. You're gonna be playing around in the mud planting stuff right?"

Holly gave her an exasperated look. "Duh, Big Sis. That's what gardening _means_."

"And you're wearing a dress for this? And here I thought you'd done well today..."

"Hey! That's mean!" Holly protested stamping her little foot. Stacey just chuckled. Well, she supposed Kent was just going to have to clean all of the dirt off of it. It was the least he could do for not being around to work damage control.

Holly continued to chatter excitedly all the way to the Center's grounds. Stacey shook her head at the girl's enthusiasm, then gave Holly a hug goodbye and waved as she disappeared inside the building.

Stacey checked her phone and saw she still had a bit of time before she needed to head into work. The beauty of working at a bar in the boonies; she could get away with coming in at 1:00 with little to no consequences. A devilish idea popped into her head and she let out an evil chuckle. She made her way over to the commercial district with a little spring in her step.

Well, she said district. It was more of a plaza really, with ten or eleven shops not including the monolithic _Alliance General_ sitting in the middle of it all. It was pretty much the only place on the whole colony where you could spend your credits, and conveniently was located smack dab in the middle. There was a bank, a couple of bars, a few restaurants and for some strange reason an arts and crafts store. All of them had to special order their stock from the gargantuan supply shipments that came every few months. The monopoly and the relative difficulty the owners had in getting their inventory meant that things were pretty expensive, but people didn't complain. They didn't have much to do with their money anyway.

Stacey walked into _Rising Eagle_ , a café/diner she regularly visited since it was run by her friend Maribel. It specialized in North American cuisine, which Stacey had always found particularly amusing since Mari was Hispanic. Mari would always yell at her, saying that technically most of North America was Hispanic now anyway.  
Stacey got herself a table and sat down with a contented sigh, the ache in her head subsiding to little more than an annoyance. A woman with dark black hair and heavily tanned skin sat down in the chair across from her. "Hey Stace," she said with an easy smile. She seemed to be overly pleased with herself for some reason.

"Hi Mari," Stacey said cautiously. "What's up? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, no reason," Mari said with another bright smile. "I was just wondering if you had a nice morning."

"Of course I did," Stacey lied, "Why wouldn't I have?"

"I'm thinking because of the, what, seven bottles? Yeah, the _seven_ bottles of Bob's best beer you drank last night. They hit you so hard you had to be dragged home."

"Oh shit. I drank _that_ much?"

"Yup," Mari said matter-of-factly.

"Damn. No wonder I had a crappy time. I went way overboard."

"You mean you don't even remember?"

"Total blackout."

"You're so irresponsible Stace," Mari said plainly with a wave of her hand. "You need to get your act together. You're getting married soon, aren't you? Do you really think those are the marks of a good wife?"

"Says the single thirty-five year-old with no kids."

Mari laughed. "Alright, so maybe I don't have the right to judge. I'm just saying, having my eyes almost get clawed out by a drunk lady isn't exactly my idea of fun. So stop that shit."

"Fine... but I make no promises."

"You never do."

"You'd think you'd get used to it by now."

"And yet I can't help but think you'll enjoy some amount of personal growth at one point or another."

Stacey shrugged. "So what's new with you eh? Come to think of it, shouldn't you be working?"

"I'm on break," Mari explained. "Besides, do you see any customers in here other than you? Didn't think so."

"But... but I'm so hungry."

"God, and here I thought you just came in for a chat, maybe to apologize for being terrible last night. Turns out you're just here to remind me I have a job."

"Sorry Mari. Speaking of which though, could I get the continental?"

"What? You're not seriously going to eat all of that are you? That's for like a party of four."

"So I'll just stick the leftovers in Bob's fridge at work and take 'em home afterward."

"Even so, do you know how much that's gonna cost you? Kent's gonna freak when he finds out."

"That's the idea," Stacey said impishly.

"Oh. What'd he do this time?"

"Left me home all alone, knowing I'd be nursing a hangover, but still expecting me to get Holly fed and ready for school."

"And let me guess," Mari began, "You're going to buy this huge breakfast on his dime in order to make him suffer as you have."

"You know me so well Mari."

"I know that you're kind of a terrible person and that that boy is insane to marry you."

"Oh Mari, you certainly know how to butter a girl up. Now, fetch me my food darling. I'm a paying customer after all."

"Fine then. Throw away your relationship over some petty bullshit. See if I care. So long as you've got the creds I officially am not liable to anything."

"Glad we could come to an understanding," Stacey said with a winning smile.

The continental was huge, no doubt about it. Stacey stared at a specific portion of it hungrily. The _bacon_. There was very little meat available on Terra Zenith, and what there was was super expensive. Stacey laughed maniacally and dove right into it, only briefly dipping into the rest of the smorgasbord of food for eggs and some juice. She wolfed down on her meal until she could not physically fit any more food in her stomach without vomiting. With satisfaction, she called Mari over to box everything else. It took two to contain it all.

"Geez you can eat Stace; what's up with that?" Mari said with shock. "It was like watching an animal descend on prey."

"I've always eaten like this. Never know when you're gonna get another meal like that."

Mari shook her head. "Crazy. Absolutely crazy. Here, let me go get you a bag for all of this. And you could, y'know, pay me at some point. That would be nice."

"Chit's on the corner of the table," Stacey said musically.

"Great. Be right back."

When Mari came back with the receipt and handed Stacey her food, she blinked in surprise. "Hey Stace, where's your rock? That thing's normally glued to your finger. Did you lose it?"

Stacey looked down at her hand and swore. "Oh my god, I hope not! No, no, I must've left it at home. Dammit, I can't believe I forgot it!"

"I can," Mari said with a smirk.

"I didn't ask you." Stacey sighed. "Well, I can't go back home and get it. Bob's already gonna be irritable enough. I don't need to add being egregiously late to the mix."

"Yet somehow in your world being only slightly late is okay."

"But of course."

Mari sighed and shook her head. She waved Stacey away."What are you doing standing around talking to me then? Get your butt to work."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll see you later Mari; have fun tending your empty café," Stacey called as she jogged away with her food in tow.

"Bitch!" Mari called teasingly from behind. "Have fun tending your empty bar! Oh, and you tell Bob hello for me! And let me know when your wedding date is you spaz, I've been waiting in suspense for over a year now!"

"Shut up! Like I would tell you first Gossip Girl!" Stacey returned. "Later!"

It was only a short run across the square to get to Stacey's work, a bar called _Twixt_. Stacey was pretty sure the name was a play on the words _Betwixt and Between_ , which was apt considering it was in the middle of Tezuno, which in turn was in the middle of nowhere.

Stacey liked the atmosphere inside of _Twixt_. It was dark, but inviting. Most of the furniture was made from the indigenous trees found on the planet, and the oddness of the grain gave it that extra bit of spice without making it too alien. The green marble lookalike counters and tabletops gave it a bit of a classier feel without turning it into a corner club.

A large, burly bald man with a thick brown beard was polishing a glass behind the counter when Stacey walked in. When he heard the door close behind her he looked up and growled at her. "Well, well, well... look who the cat dragged in. And here I thought you were taking the day off, Miss Ash. It wouldn't surprise me after the, what? Se-"

"Seven beers, yeah I know. Mari told me. She says hi by the way," Stacey said shortly, waving her leftovers at him.

"So that's what you were doing instead of working. Gossiping the morning away with your girlfriend. Deandra and I had to clean up the bar for you," Bob grumbled. "The labor's coming out of your paycheck."

"So you threaten," Stacey said flippantly, moving over behind the counter.

"You shouldn't tempt me Miss Ash. I've given you too much wiggle room in the past, and if you keep abusing it there will be consequences."

"Alright fine, I'll get a hold of myself in the future. Now, could you get back in the kitchen? You're in my spot."

"Sorry crazy eyes; you were late so you're prepping tables. I'll take care of the glasses and set up the drinks just the way you like them, so why don't you go give Deandra a hand?"

"Alright, whatever you say boss," Stacey said with a shrug.

"Oh, and one more thing. I better not catch you running off to the bathroom for your break during the lunch rush. Our customers aren't paying me so they can sit and stare at an empty bar while you jam out to your tunes in there."

"Okay, alright sorry," Stacey said with a roll of her eyes. "I will take my break at a reasonable time."

"Good. I'm glad we understand each other. Now get going, we've only got," Bob checked his watch. "'Bout two hours until the customers arrive."

Stacey nodded and puttered off into the back to grab silverware. Deandra was already there, wrapping utensils in napkins and sealing them up. "Hi Dee," Stacey said as she walked past discarded her possessions. "How's your day going?"

Dee shrugged her shoulders. "Better now that you're here to help. Dad's all antsy today, I can't deal with his neurosis alone," she said nonchalantly. "I heard you guys talking; you're on last name basis for the day huh? That probably means he's mad at you."

"So I had gathered," Stacey said with a shrug. "Need any help with that?" she asked, gesturing to Deandra's collection of silverware.

"Yeah, thanks." Deandra answered with a nod. "If you could sort them all out of the pile that would be a big help." She shifted out of the way and made room for Stacey next to her. "You know, you shouldn't take Dad's moods so personally," she said idly. "I think he was actually more worried about you than anything, considering the apparent state you were in last night. Besides, there's something up with him."

"Like what exactly?" Stacey asked as she began sorting knives.

"Well... I dunno. I think he's all worked up because the colony guard got called in early. He thinks something's going on that they're not telling us. I think he's crazy and there's just some sort of drill. Did Kent tell you anything about it?"

"Nope. He was gone before I woke up. I'm sure it's nothing major though; he's a class A worry-wort. He'd send me a message as soon as he could if something was wrong."

"Figures. Well, if he does tell you anything about it, let me know. I wanna shove it in Dad's face so he can calm the hell down."

"What a dutiful daughter you are Dee."

"He's just super annoying sometimes, y'know?" Deandra splayed her arms in defeat. "Alright, I think we've got enough of these for lunch and dinner. If we both go and set the tables it'll take half the time. Besides, I think Dad's gonna start cooking soon and I don't wanna be underfoot."

"Sounds good. I'll be right there, I just wanna grab my phone out of my purse."

"'Kay, don't be slow. I'll report you if I have to do it all by myself."

"I promise," Stacey said with a smile.

Knowing that Deandra would make good on her threat, Stacey quickly grabbed her phone and fired off a text to Kent asking if something was going on. It was strange that he would rush off in the morning, especially after such a rough night. She didn't want to make a fuss about it if she didn't have to though. Hopefully Dee was right and it was just a drill.

Stacey jammed her phone into her pocket and followed in Deandra's wake out of the kitchen. Setting tables was actually pretty typical for the lunch rush, since there wasn't much else she needed to do except prep the bar, and that didn't take as long as you might think. She hadn't had to pitch in as much since Deandra started working here, but sometimes there wasn't anything else to do.

Deandra and Bob had come to Terra Zenith around the same time Stacey did, very close to the colony's founding four years ago. Deandra was only about sixteen at the time, and to hear her tell it, she hated it here ever since she'd stepped off the ship. Now that there was some more infrastructure and there was soon to be some limited amount of extra-stellar communication available, she had an easier time coping, but she still had her grievances. Dee was only working at _Twixt_ to fill the time until she could get approval for a colony transfer.

They finished what little there was left to do before lunch in about half an hour and took the opportunity to relax at the bar. Stacey went over her bottles to make sure Bob had put everything in the proper place. She checked the glasses beneath the counter and found them spotless. Satisfied, she began idly wiping the smudges off of the surface of the bar, to give the impression that she was still doing something. Dee put on no such show and perched on a bar stool, playing a game on her phone.

They idled like that for a while, chatting occasionally. Bob was too busy in the kitchen to make them do anything else and they took full advantage. It was always quiet around this time; sort of like the calm before the storm. Stacey kept compulsively checking her phone for a message from Kent, but nothing came. She wondered what the holdup was. For some reason she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. She remembered her bracelet, and held her wrist up to her eyes.

The serpent's jeweled eyes glinted savagely in the light. Stacey jumped and Dee laughed at her for being just as paranoid as her father. Still, it gave Stacey the creeps. She hoped Kent was okay.

* * *

 **AN:** And so ends the prologue! Thank you ever so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed it!

So, I've really wanted to restart Ouroboros for a long time now. Looking back on the original, I wasn't really happy with how I told the story and where I was going with it. There were a lot of things I hadn't figured out about writing or even my individual style at that point, so I think this was pretty much inevitable. Anyway, I wanna go over some of the changes I made from the original for any returning readers/people who want to go have a look at the original and how amateurishly awful it truly was.

First of all, I changed Holly's age to about eight. I am still really bad at writing children, so making her slightly older makes things easier for me, since it's easier to believe that she's slightly more intelligent. Still, I'm planning on giving her a much more reduced role in the story for the sake of my sanity. However, this does not at all mean she is unimportant, so look out for her later!

Next up is Deandra, who at first was an unnamed waitress in the original. I gave her a name and some background because I'm finding it increasingly important to add depth to even background characters in order to give more of a sense of a living, breathing world. Although, I suppose it's up to you guys to figure out if I succeeded :P.

There have been other changes and whatnot, but I believe I've rambled long enough. Please leave a review or comment or what have you! I love hearing what people have to say, as otherwise I won't be able to get better! Ciao, and see you next time!


End file.
